The 62nd (2017) General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was held April 18–21 in a large conference room at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei. I attended at the invitation of the PCT as a Kyodan representative, together with Kyodan Moderator Ishibashi Hideo and Hayashida Yoshiyuki and his wife Kyoko, former missionaries to Taiwan. Following the opening worship service led by Rev. Suda Tada, moderator of the previous PCT General Assembly, those of us from overseas churches gave our greetings. First was Rev. Hayashida, presently the pastor of Uneno Church in Kawanishi, Hyogo, Japan. The Hayashidas had served the Japanese church in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, from 1983 until March 2017. The PCT covered their expenses to attend and gave them this opportunity to speak to the assembly. The fourth and final greeting was that of Kyodan Moderator Ishibashi, who expressed his deep gratitude to the PCT for exchanges with the Kyodan and particularly for its great support for the victims of the Great East Japan Disaster of March 2011.

One of the distinguishing features of the PCT is the large number of pastors of aboriginal ethnicity. As a result, the handbook used at the assembly included Scripture readings in Amis, Bunun and seven other representative native languages. The assembly itself was conducted in Mandarin Chinese, but one could hear the Taiwanese language being used as well. Delegates’ statements and remarks were limited to three minutes, and since the remaining time for each delegate was displayed on a screen above the platform, no one spoke overtime.

On the first day, the new moderator was chosen by ballot, with Rev. Chen Ming-Chin being elected. The main agenda on the second day was the ratification of the executive secretaries at the church headquarters, and while there was some heated discussion concerning that, the slate was approved. The new associate general secretaries chosen were Rev. Tsai Nan-Hsin and Rev. Eleng Tjaljimaraw, while Rev. Joshua Lian was selected to be the executive secretary for the Ecumenical and International Committee. Executive Secretary Ching An-Yen, who played such a vital role in the deepening of relations between the PCT and the Kyodan during the past four years will be stepping down at the end of June.

The PCT is deeply divided over the issue of sexual minorities. There was passionate debate with no unity evolving, so the matter is shaking the foundations of the denomination.

Our schedule was such that we needed to bid farewell on the third day of the conference, but former General Secretary Andrew Chang made arrangements for Ishibashi and myself to drive through the Keelung area of northern Taiwan together with Rev. Lee Mneg Jer and his wife, who were the former PCT missionaries to the Kyodan’s Tokyo Taiwanese Church. I was so thankful that we could have good fellowship on the way to the airport. (Tr. TB)